baseball, softball, and more softball

Our regular Sunday night discussion:
Me: Hey baby, what do we have this week?
Donna: Grif has a game on Monday at 7:30, you have softball with the church at 6:30.
Tuesday Bailey has a game at 6:00
wednesday we have church.
Thursday Grif and Bailey both have a game at 7:30.
Friday Bailey has travel ball practice.
Saturday
Me: Nevermind!!
Thank God for calendars or day planners or i-phones or however she keeps up with it!! Air traffic controller!! LOL. We are all having a blast though and I don't think I would trade this time in for anything!! (I do get excited though when there is a rain out and we get to ALL stay in for an evening!)
Both kids are doing great! Grif got a hit last night and made two good plays at shortstop earning him the game ball!! (That is a big deal!! Just saying, in case you've never been a 9 year old boy!) We, of course, took an autographed ball that dad has out of its case and put this game ball in the case. (It was just Mark DeRosa's autograph, not like it was Ozzie Smith or anything!!) Bailey is playing great softball and she is an athlete!! She can play anywhere and her coaches like that!! She is doing well at her pitching lessons as well!! I can't wait to see her start her first game!
My tournament team is doing extremely well, but my church team not so much! But, we are having a blast!!
I love spring!!
C

Thank you!

Thank you to those who have been praying for us that I know about and to the ones I don't! I am in the midst of a great week! And have been in a constant state of thanking God!
As I sit here drinking my coffee, looking out the window at a beautiful day, and updating my blog, I can't help but reflect on the way April started. It was a rough month! Seemed like everything fell down or broke down at once.
So here is an update:
The store is still struggling, but we had a good April! (answered prayer)
Charlene is now back on the road!! Woohoo! No damage to the valves and only $250 (answered prayer)
I am getting the crown this month, but I had the money set aside from income tax refund and since I didn't have to buy a new car, that money is available! (Now I just have to fret over the dental work itself, not the money!!)
Termites are gone and paid for with the rest of the income tax refund! (I gave the gvnmt a LARGE interest free loan)
We do have problems with our field lines and are going to be having some outdoor plumbing work done, but that money has been provided by God as well!! (answered prayer)
Both children are doing very well in baseball/softball!! School is almost over for them and Donna. I am excited about Mother's Day this Sunday!! It's going to be a blast and the worship set at church is going to be incredible!!
I am blessed and highly favored.
C

Crunch at home!

Wed. April 7th: Owner of my store, tells me if things continue down currant path, we won't be open much longer!
Thurs. April 8th: Charlene dies (car - timing belt).
Tues. April 13th: Dentist lets me know I need a crown!! ugh!
Wed April 14th: Some termites show up at the house!
God is still in control. Bad week financially. But, we praise him in the good times and we praise in the times of trial too! (I'll just keep reminding myself that!!)
C

Spring Break

Me and my gorgeous wife in front of the waterfall at Vogel with the sun gleaming through behind us, hitting the water!! (She is HOT!!)

Due to money crunch and the economy hitting my business, I couldn't take off the whole week with Donna, Bailey and Grif, but I did take Friday and we slipped out of town with the Hodorffs and the Lovetts for a much needed few days away at Mt Vogel State Park! Less than 2 hours away from here, but I've never been. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!! Amazing scenery, easy, but pretty drive. It was great. Friday when we got there it was still very windy, so that made it a little cold, but nothing a great fire wouldn't wipe away in a hurry!! There is just something hypnotic about watching, smelling, hearing, and feeling a fire isn't there?

We were able to picnic, hike, fish (in streams and on a lake), play putt-putt (Grif's personal fav!!), EAT, play four square, card games, and just spend time with each other.

It was a great time to get away from "real life" and just take in the beauty of God's creation!! Donna has almost talked me into selling the house and buying a motor home to live in for our retirement (a few years from now!!) It was an amazing weekend in a beautiful valley in the foothills of the Appalachian Mtns!!

The kids "exploring one of the many streams at Vogel!!

All the kids in front of the big waterfall!! Beautiful spot!!


Bailey and Griffin, civil for long enough to take this photo!! (Miracle!!)

Great Easter Weekend!!

We had a great weekend! The kids had practice on Saturday and I had another tourney (I am looking so forward to my team taking a weekend off!!) We came in 3rd with another good showing!
The weather for the whole weekend could not have been ordered up any better!!
Sunday was perfect. Church was incredible!! We went to mom and dad's for lunch with my sister and bro-in-law for Easter. (They are down from Cleveland for the week).
A Sunday afternoon nap followed by some time in the yard with my son, capped off a wonderful weekend!!
C

What's impossible with God?

The cable was out yesterday when I got home. A coincidental inconvenience most people would say. Maybe... But, we were about to eat dinner and put the movie "facing the Giants" in the dvd. I picked it up a couple of weeks ago when I was getting a book, because I had been thinking about the movie for a while and wanting to see it again.
Anyway, if you've seen the movie, not great acting but an incredible message. At a few points in the movie, I found I was wiping a tear off my cheek. But at the end.... They had just won the State Championship and Coach Grant Taylor walks in the locker room where the boys are celebrating. He gets the quieted down, and he looks at the kid that just made the longest field goal of his life. "David, don't you ever let anyone tell you that you are no good, or second rate.... I just watched God do a miracle through you"!! So then coach Taylor asks David, "What is impossible with God?". David replies, "nothing coach".
That question and answer were mondane enough. I would answer the same sitting here today. If you ask me, "Craig, what's impossible with God?" Nothing would be my reply. Standard "Sunday School" answer. No problem. And I was fine at that point in the movie. But Coach Grant's next question to David was the one that got me.

"Are you sure?" coach Taylor asked. His tone told me he want young David to grasp the full weight of his first question!! "Yes sir coach". The coach went on through the locker room asking both questions to everyone. You see in their school God had been doing miracles. Changing hearts, changing minds, changing attitudes. They KNEW nothing was impossible.

I can't explain why I don't. I've got no explanation. You see, when the coach looked at David and said are you SURE, I didn't feel sure. I don't act SURE. I don't pray SURE. I don't confess SURE. I don't profess SURE. And I definately don't witness SURE.

If I really believe nothing is impossible with GOD, why don't I LIVE it? Why am I afraid to tell someone I know and love that God has put them on my heart to pray for them? Or why am I afraid to tell someone God can't use you if you aren't willing? Why am I afraid to put my hands on someone and claim there broken body for God? Why can I get more worked up over explaining why unversal healthcare is going to be the demise of this country when my own unbelief could be the demise of my own family or a friend that I am suppose to be witnessing to?

God, help my unbelief. I serve The only God there ever was, is, or will be, but I act as if that service doesn't have sacrifice. I want to be willing to look like a fool. I want to be willing to take the first step. Show me what you are trying to say.

C

Weekend Bliss

What an incredible weekend!! I will be smiling until next weekend because of all the excitement! (I hope)
My tournament team won the tourney on Saturday!! I had a good defensive day and decent offensive (not what I am used to, but it is early in the season). Bailey and Grif both had good practices and ended the day watching daddy at 10:30 pm winning the tourney in a blustery wind!!
Sunday started with an awesome church service! An awesome bible study discussion, and a field trip to the 2nd worship service to watch one of our classmates get baptized and her family join the church!! (how cool!)
Side Note** I got to meet Nell Womack, Joseph's wife, and Tess's sister-in-law. I originally got to her blog one day when I was extremely bored at work and she and some of her friends via their blogs have some incredible recipes!! I mention that so that if you need some quick fix meals with big flavors, it could serve you well to do some snooping around Nell's and blog friend list to do some seriously good eating!!
Back to the regular scheduled program....
Bailey's pitching lesson went great!! She was serious, and working hard!! We had moved her lesson up one hour for the night of worship at the church.
I got back to the church at 3 for vocal team mic check and to make sure we knew all the X's and O's of the game plan. Choir rolled in at 4:30 and we ate a little bit before sound check! Then we ate a little bit after sound check!! The vocal team circled up for a prayer after our sound check that was an incredible time! Moments like that really solidify us as a team, in my opinion. It was sweeeeeet!
Anyway the night of worship/live recording went amazing!! A couple of problems made us have to redo a couple of songs but I think the choir could've gone on worshipping all night!!
I was exhausted but energized. Drained, but ready to offer more!!
It was a truly awesome weekend!! Very special service that I will never forget!! I can't wait to hear the cd!!
C